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It is hard to believe that our school year is almost done.  After moving here, I have found that it is much harder to stay on our school because the weather is nicer earlier.    After being used to being indoors for most of the winter in Michigan, it seemed when we lived there it was much easier to get school work done because we could not be outdoors. But since moving here, we have been enjoying warm weather very early on which is something new.  We try and get our school work done at least by early afternoon so that we can enjoy our time outdoors.

Making the transition from Michigan’s no laws for homeschooling to North Carolina’s laws for homeschooling was  a bit different.  We are more lapsed than most people are when it comes to schooling.  I find that I like to “zone” in on what my children’s strengths are and what they excel at the best and then we go with it.  That means that sometimes we might put off learning certain skills until they are ready.  I am at the mindset that by the time my children are finished with high school, they will all know what they are supposed to learn, some just took longer than others.

I would much rather let my children learn some skills that are going to actually help them in life verses a bunch of formulas and facts that are going to get them nowhere.  My oldest is in college and we made sure to have her learn all of her “required” useless skills so that she could do well in school.  The  last year of her schooling, we did a crash course in review to put her up to par and she did fine.

For my others, we are not anywhere near that point yet, so we just do what we enjoy doing.  With the exception that I have to test my children and they should be at a “certain” level.  Since we do zero testing, ever.  I decided to purchase some practice test prep books from Spectrum.

Amazon carries Test Practice and Test Prep.  I recommend getting the Test Practice.  The other book just gives you a few questions with more explaining of how to take a test.  Don’t bother wasting your money.  These were about $8-10. 

Here is a sample of inside the books.  To me these were great, my children and I are almost done going through them.  Each day, we do 2 pages of each section:  Math, Language, and Reading.  In another week we should be done with them.  It gave us the chance to go over a few things that we previously did not learn and my children understand it completely.

In another week or so, I will order the CAT5 tests for each of my children.  They cost about $30 each and then I will administer the test to each of my children and keep the records.  Easy enough.  After reading different reviews, that seems to be the best one suited for homeschoolers who don’t normally do tests.

Then it will be time to explore and find out what I want to do for my children for next year.  I don’t think you need to have the same curriculum for all of your children for every year.  I think that our life changes, circumstances change, children’s learning is different, and sometimes financial reasons change.  We can’t always do the same thing for each children and that is okay.  Each child is different and we can’t expect them to all learn the same way. It is okay if you decided halfway through the year that something isn’t working, its hard but it is much better than a whole year of frustration with your child because they don’t get it.  I am glad that we can switch things up each year.  It makes the year less monotonous and boring.  Plus I am glad when we can do more in a year than previous years.  I look forward to sharing what we will be doing this next year.  But for now, I have to prepare for another Monday.  Be blessed.

What do you think is the best way to get to know someone? Hopefully you answered…by spending time with them. Do you know that the best way to have a good relationship with God is by spending time with Him each day? Sounds simple enough right? How would you feel if you knew that your friends deliberately ignored your texts or messages? Would you be able to turn to them in times of need and encouragement? Would you feel betrayed or used if the only times they talked was when they needed something? If the Lord is supposed to be number 1 in our life, we should be placing a big priority on the amount of time that we spend with Him. We shouldn’t ignore his “texts and messages”. How true is that so many of us get to wrapped up in our own busyness of life and forget to take the time each day to spend with the One who will help guide our steps each day.
You should work on making it a priority NOW in your  life to establish a quiet time with the Lord each day. The better you are to begin working oninstilling habits, you will be more likely to carry them out for the rest of your life.  You will be far better off than the person who never tried at all. Make it a point to spend some time reading scripture, praying, and then journaling about what God speaks to you.
I know that there are times in your life, when it gets busy or this looks more like a “chore” than an opportunity to get to know Him. Every time you open your bible you should expect and anticipate getting to know more about God.
Opportunities will come to those that desire them.
Those that don’t look for them, usually miss them. Expect that God will speak to you during your quiet time. Look for a time and establish that time NOW. Don’t think that “one day” you will take the time for God, why wait? God wants to use you now, today.   He has so many great things planned for your life, if you just think that He can’t use you until you are in a better season in life, you will be missing out on some great things.
Make Jesus a priority in your life. Don’t just turn to Him when you think about it, or when things go bad. Make prayer and reading His word a daily habit. These should become things that are naturally a part of your life and that you enjoy doing. Remember that you don’t have to pray with big words and fancy language. God wants to hear you in plain everyday language. Just as you would talk with your father or friend, God is the same way. Talk to Him and turn to Him with all of your concerns and problems. Be reminded to thank Him for the things He has blessed you with as well.

Our old pastor encouraged us to speak out 5 things we were thankful for each day. It is a good reminder that everyday things are really a blessing from the Lord and we should not take them for granted.
Practical application:
I encourage you to start a prayer journal. After reading a certain scripture, start writing out what it means to you. Write out a letter of praise, thanksgiving, and any doubts, fears, or problems that you want to hand over to the Lord. You can even write down the 5 things you are thankful for each day. Keep this going each and every day. As you grow and mature in the Lord, these will serve as beautiful reminder of your quiet times with the Lord.
Another great way to be reminded to read the scriptures is to find an accountability friend. Choose a friend or a few friends and start a simple bible study group. It doesn’t have to be big and fancy. Commit yourselves to just selecting a chapter and begin reading. Get together or talk on the phone and share what you read and how God spoke to you during those scriptures. Make it a time that is committed to keeping each other accountable.
A simple suggestion is to find a bible plan that reads the bible in one year’s time. Simple, and easy. Keep yourself accountable.

This is taken from Home Economics series Homemaking Skills, my second book due to come out in a couple of months.  You can buy my first one on Amazon by clicking here.  Or you can buying it as a direct PDF download here.  Thanks for the support, and be blessed this weekend.